Poison God's Heritage

I could feel it—I was on the brink of ascension, about to step into the Origin Realm. But the knowledge I had gained had marked me for death. The Heavens were not going to allow me to live. The clouds above darkened, turning a deep, malevolent red mixed with streaks of black.

Then, through the gloom, a single, seven-colored cloud appeared, innocuous and small, yet radiating a power that made even the Rakshasa flee in terror. Read exclusive chapters at empire

This cloud was the bane of all existence, the ultimate enforcer of the Heavens' will. It moved through the dark clouds, absorbing them, growing in size, becoming more and more ominous. Lightning crackled within it, not the thick, booming bolts that had struck the Rakshasa, but something far more dangerous—small, soundless bolts that carried the concentrated wrath of the Heavens.

Each strike released a thick vapor of Origin Energy, a vapor that seemed to corrode reality itself.

"What's going on?" YuYu asked, her voice trembling with fear.

"It's... it's the Heavenly Dao's Death Decree," Tao Yang whispered, her words barely escaping her lips.

I tried to move, to flee, but it was too late. Out of nowhere, ten thousand seven-colored chains materialized, ripping through the fabric of reality to bind me. They pierced my flesh, locking me in place, holding me fast. I couldn't move, couldn't escape. I was trapped, completely at the mercy of the Heavens.

"RUN AWAY!" I screamed again, desperation clawing at my throat.

Yu Yu leaped toward me, trying to rip the chains from my body, but the moment she touched them, her entire body convulsed, and the whites of her eyes rolled back. She was struck with what felt like a billion volts of lightning, her body trembling uncontrollably before she collapsed.

Liang Yu tried to use her fan, but it disintegrated into ash the moment it touched the chains. She too was struck, her body seizing up as she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Tao Yang! Take them away!" I shouted, my voice breaking. I knew what was coming. I knew what the Heavens were about to do. I was going to die. I had no delusions about that.

I wasn't a main character, the kind who could defy the odds and escape certain death. My story was going to end here, in this cursed place, under the wrath of the Heavens.

Tao Yang grabbed the two women, her eyes filled with tears as she hesitated for a moment, looking back at me. But there was nothing she could do. She turned and fled, carrying them away from the impending disaster.

"Automaton, hear my will," I said, my voice a mere whisper now. "Everything I own is now the shared property of YuYu and Liang Yu."

"As the Lord commands," the Automaton replied, its voice solemn.

I struggled to stand, the chains tightening around me, digging deeper into my flesh. But I refused to go down sitting. I wasn't going to die on my knees. If I was going to face the wrath of the Heavens, I would do it standing tall, defiant to the end.

The chains seemed to recognize my intent, loosening just enough to allow me to rise to my feet. I looked up at the stormy sky, my heart pounding in my chest.

"HEAVENS!" I roared, my voice echoing across the Sea of Demons. The entire world seemed to hold its breath, the only sound the howling wind and the distant rumble of thunder.

"IT ISN'T OUT OF MY VOLITION THAT I SAW YOUR SECRETS! IT IS YOUR OWN ERR TO HAVE ALLOWED IT SO! IT IS NOT OUT OF MY OWN EFFORT TO HAVE DISCOVERED IT! IT IS YOUR OWN MISTAKE FOR NOT HIDING IT WELL! FOR I AM A CULTIVATOR! FOR I AM A DEMONIC CULTIVATOR!

I BOW NOT MY HEAD IN FEAR OR FRIGHT! ONLY IN RESPECT! AND TODAY I AM WRONGED! BUT I SHALL NEVER FOLD!"

The skies rumbled once more, the clouds darkening even further, as if enraged by my words. But I didn't care. If this was the end, then I would face it with a smile, with defiance burning in my heart.

"THIS I PROMISE NOT AS SHEN BAO! BUT AS THE TYRANT DU SHEN! KILL ME TODAY OR SUFFER MY IRE!"

Suddenly, the clouds above began to coalesce, forming a massive hand that stretched down toward me. At the tip of the hand, something was written, a single word that radiated a power so overwhelming that my entire body trembled in its presence.

My eyes locked onto the word, but before I could even comprehend it, I saw several figures streaking through the sky, their speed tearing rifts in space itself. They were the Suns—the Blue Sun, the Dusking Sun, the Lord of Lords, the Red Sun, the Flamboyant Sun, and the Wisest Sun—all of them racing toward me, their faces pale with fear.

"Don't read it!" they shouted, their voices merging into a single, desperate plea.

But it was too late. The word had already burned itself into my mind, searing its meaning into my very soul.

"Perish."

Time seemed to stop as the weight of that word settled in my mind. I could feel it—a darkness closing in, a force so immense that it dwarfed everything I had ever known. The sky above seemed to collapse in on itself, the hand descending with unstoppable force.

The world around me dimmed, the edges of my vision growing dark as the full weight of the Heavens' wrath descended upon me. I had defied the natural order, and uncovered secrets not meant for mortal minds, and now, the price was to be paid in full.

But as the darkness closed in, I couldn't help but smile, a defiant grin that split my face even as tears welled up in my eyes.

I had lived as a tyrant, a mortal, and a cultivator. I had walked the path of destruction and creation, and now, at the end of it all, I would meet my fate head-on.

As the hand of the Heavens closed around me, the last thing I saw was the terrified faces of the Suns, reaching out toward me. but they would never make it, the hand was too fast. I appreciate their effort, I truly do.

Now looking at death in the face another thought popped into my mind.

Shit, did I forget the blast furnace on? Well... that sounds very irrelevant now, does it?

And then... darkness.